The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-12-07
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Care of Live Stock.

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Owing to our comparatively mild
winter climate the Southern farmer
is apt to neglect wholesome precau-
tons against severe weather In fact
it is shameful how little thought or
care is given OH many farms to the
comfort of the dumb and helpless AMI
mails who toll for us the year round,
and are content with their wages,
rations and shelter. Aside from moral
and humane considerations it is a
question of dollars and cents that no
farmer can afford to ignore. There
are many farmers who are generous to
fault in feeding; they fill up the
feed-troughs and hay-racks with corn
and oats and fodder three times
a day. But the shelter pro-
vided is often of the most
primitive and inadequate kind. and,
shame to say, sometimes no bet
ter than the lee-side of corn-crib or a
fence-corner It should be remcm-
bered that the food ing, sted by horse,
COW or other animal serves two dis
tinct purposes in the animal economy:
1. To keep up the heat of the body to
the point below which the vital pro-
cesses can not be carried on and life
continue. This temperature (9S3
dcgrees) must be maintained con-
stantly in the very coolest as we'll as
in mild weather. The natural means
of maintaining this animal heat is by
burning portion of the food as 1t
passes through the lungs in the form of
blood. The colder the weather-other
things being the samc-the greater
will he the proportion of the food that
is taken into the stomach that must
be used as fuel. and of course the
proportion that can be utilized
for repairing waste tissues and stored
up as fat must be lessened. But if re-
sort is had to mechanical means to
keep out the cold-to keep in the heat
"a very great saving of food is &C
complished, while at the same time
the animals are stronger for labor or
fatter for the butcher In our own
domestic arrangements we obey this
principle without much attention to
the philosophy oft. We provide thick
walls. tight windows and doors. stop
ping the cracks with care, and warm
beds to sleep on-thus saving the con-
sumption Of much larger amount of
fuel. and adding greatly to the per-
sonal comfort and happiness and
preserving the health of the
members of our family. Nails, lumber
and boards are much cheaper con-
SENATORS of animal warmth and pro-
moters of thrift and fattening than
extra allowances of food. But why
on this subject? Is there
a farmer in all this broad land who
does not know that it is more profit
able, more humane, more Christian
like. to make his livestock comfort
able than to compel them to stand !
shivering in the fence corners, or at |
best in open sheds or pole.made sta
bles with cracks so large that a dog
might easily jump through.
1t will be remem bered in this con-
nection that we have often stressed
the Importance of getting the porkers
into condition for the knife before
the cold weather has set in for the
winter. Hogs should now be nearly
Or quite ready to kill, and advantage
should be taken of tho first cold spell
the latter part of this month to COM
mence operations. Christmas should
ind them all in the smoke-housc and
the fist killings on the sticks. The
best and cheapest bacon is that made
rom hogs we'll fattenei and butcher
ID in December or earlier. -Southern
Cuttivator.